The mission
About 8 years ago I came across an aerial photo of Plymouth circa 1937. The resolution was enough to see the whole city as it used to look before it was lost to the fire bombs in world war two. I had seen many photos from street level before but here you could see much more, in-between each building there were courtyards, arched tunnels, some places hid gardens, some corners still had medieval houses and some areas revealed huge gothic buildings, burial gardens and above all the glass domed rooftops for grand interiors hid a lost world. I had grown up with the 1950s remake of the future, Plymouth had become a calculated street grid of pedestrian walkways, a flat roof landscape which in its own way was very special but for most was hated the way it replaced the romantic lost city of our past.
So although relatively new to 3D modelling, I entertained the idea, what if someone could remodel the entire city, all those hidden corners revealed at street level. I knew it would take years but what if I was to chip away at this in my spare time, eventually it would accumulate over the years and maybe I could gather a following along the way.
Here we are about 6 years in and we have about 50 percent of the inner core of the city, most major landmarks and most major street junctions. However things have changed, all the research needed to find and place every building circa 1937 has opened a much bigger landscape. The ambition is now to include the other two towns that were lost with WW2, Stone House and Devonport. Not only these amazing areas which I originally new nothing of but I also cannot ignore Plymouth main asset, Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. Which is where I am going to focus most of my attention over the next 4 months. Orientating around the Victorian Pier (also gone), we can rebuild the topography of this landscape above and bellow sea level, revealing the wrecks and how this landscape has helped shape Plymouth over the centuries.
Why Rebuild Plymouth?
Originally I was drawn in by the architecture of the old city, each building seemed mysterious, and every new photo I found seemed like I was digging deep into the ruins of a strange past. You know when you renovate your house and it reveals old wallpaper or a bricked up window, the same kind of feeling, a palimpsest of erasure and persistence.
My love for Plymouth history was cultivated at a young age but I see it more than just ‘boring’ history. I am half way through, French philosopher Gaston Bachelard’s, The Poetics Of Space’. One book among many of the curious philosophies of how we perceive space and time, how architecture and history can effect us at our core level. Now for me, Rebuilding Plymouth has even a bigger scope, how do I incorporate these ideas. Can we show lost futures, new theories of past events. Can we generate more passion about how demanding the best quality architecture that Plymouth deserves. Can we build an immersive environment that can assist people in mental health. Can are a large immersive world anchored in real places and real people be a real place for learning?
Please reach out if you have any insight, I would love to know if you have done something similar or see potential in this project. It is not yet funded but I hope at some point to be able to do this full time.
Sincerely,
Chris Harvey
Quick History for People New to Plymouth
So here is a quick break down if you are not too familiar with Plymouth. It’s the most south-westerly city in England. Although only first mentioned in the Domesday Book for having 7 people and 15 sheep, the port was busy 2,000 years before with the tin trade, Phoenicians, and Romans, as this area supplied much of Europe with the ability to make bronze. The town was small and was often raided by the French, leading to hundreds of fortifications being built. The town grew and became an important port, known for the departure of Captain Cook, Darwin, the Mayflower, Drake and many others.
It is also well known for being heavily bombed in the Second World War — but less well known for the fact that what did survive was then demolished by the city itself, in order to rebuild along modernist lines inspired by early 20th-century futurist visions.
Today the city is framed by Dartmoor to the north and the South Hams coast to the east and west, giving it immediate access to both wild landscapes and beaches. It sits on one of Europe’s largest natural harbours, making it a centre for sailing, naval heritage, and marine research. Plymouth has two universities, a vibrant arts and theatre scene, new waterfront developments, and easy access to Cornwall. It’s a mix of working port, student city, and gateway to the countryside — offering culture, history, and outdoor life all in one place.
